Package and method of packing fragile articles



@cit. 9 11923.. 11,47Q2W A. E. SNYDER Filed Sept. 25, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN VEN TOR. fl/yus/Z/s f jflydel:

' ATTORNEYS @cit. 9 9 W3. Ll-FQZKW E. SNYDER PACKAGE AND METHOD OF PACKING FRAGILE ARTICLES Filed Sept. 25, 1919 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented @et. Q, 1923..

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innate rant errrcinu AUGUSTUS E. SNYDER, 01F BLQOMFIELD, NEW JERSEY, ASSIGNOR T WESTINGHOUSE LAMP COMPANY, A CORPORATION OF PENNSYLVANIA.

'PACKAGE AND METHOD OF PACKING FRAGILJE ARTICLES.

dppli'cation filed September 25, 1919. Serial No. 326,117.

. dent of Bloomfield, in the county of Essex and State of New Jersey, have invented a new and useful Improvement in Packages and Methods of Packing Fragile Articles, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to an improved package and method of packing fragile ar ticles, such as incandescent electric lamps and the like, and it has for one of its objects to insure the safety of the contained article.

Another object of the invention is the provision of a method of packing incandescent lamps, or similar, glass articles, which, to a large extent, permits the use of standard packages or containers.

Another object is to provide a package "for lamps which does not require the use of excelsior, thereby removing a fire risk and doing away with the dust and disorder caused by the excelsior when the package is broken.

A further object of the invention is the provision of a method of of the nature contemplate which is economical of warehouse and shelf space.

A still further object is the provision of a package for incandescent lamps, which comprises several self-contained units capable of functioning independently or cooperating with one another to form a shipping package in which breakage of the contents is reduced to a minimum. Uther objects of the invention will manifest themselves upon a reading of the following description and appended claims.

In the accompanying drawings, Fig. l is a perspective View of a lamp partly wrapped with one of the individual'wrappers provided by me; Fig. 2 is a similar view showing a wrapper enclosing a lamp, the end of the wrapper being tucked inwardly; Fig. 3 is a sectional view illustrating the usual method of alternating the tips and bases of adjacent lamps when packed; Fig. 4 shows a tray of lamps wrapped and arranged as shown in Fig. 3; Fig. 5 is a perspective view of several of the trays, similar to the one shown in Fig. 4:, bf uniform depth and fitting snugly into an outer container; Fig. 6 is a simllar view of trays of unequal depth but held firmly in position within the container by a spacing element;

dpacking articles and Fig. 7 is an isometric view illustrating the comparative size of astandard package of lamps made up according to my new method and one made according to methods used heretofore.

By reason of the extremely fragile character of the filaments of incandescent lamps, it is necessary to exercise great care in packing lamps for shipment in order to insure their arrival at their destinations without having sufiered damage or breakage. The packing devices that have heretofore been supplied have been expensive, and have not been successful, to a satisfactory degree,

in preventing breakage of the filaments or other parts. Furthermore, whether the lamps were packed in single or multiple cartons, it was necessary to use excelsior in the outer container or box, which is an objectionable feature because of the attendant fire risk, dirt and disorder when the package is opened, etc., besides being expensive and requiring considerable skill in its use to be effective.

7 According to my improved method of packing, the package resulting from practicing the same meets the requirements of safety of contents, efi'ectiveness of display, neatness and cleanliness, economy of space, convenient handling of individual lamps. and gives provision for reshipping small groups of lamps.

Referring more particularly to the drawings, ll provide an'individual wrapper for each lamp, consisting of a piece of corrugated paper 1 secured in any suitable manner, as by gluing, to a cover of tissue paper 2, which is of greater width than the corrugated paper 1 and of, at least, equal length. This wrapper may be loosely wrapped about an incandescent lamp and held in position by'tucking inwardly the ends 3 of the wrapper, as shown in Figs. 2 and 3. Standard packages of lamps, wrapped in this manner, may be made by placing the same in trays 4i and so arranging them that adjacent lamps shall have their bases and tips alternately disposed,

as shown iii-Figs. 3 and 4. The trayd is provided with a cover or top 5 and may be standardized, as to width and length, but may vary in depth so as to accommodate lamps of dirfllerent sizes. 'Several of the trays 4 may be. stacked or inserted in an outer container t,"which is of such a size as to receive agiven number of the trays of a given size and ensure a snug fit therein. lfhe trays 4- may be made of light cardboard and the outer container 6 may be of heavy cardboard, lined or reinforced with corrugated paper,

The overall dimensions or length of a lamp varies with the size thereof, and, for this reason, it is necessary to provide the trays 4 with difierent depths which will he more or less shallow for small lamps and relatively deep for large lamps. However, by having the length and breadth of the tray 4 uniform, trays of different depths may be placed in the outer container 6 and firml held in position loy an insert or separator l formed of corrugated paper which may he easily shaped to the configuration of the letter V. The separator 7 functions to fill out the unoccupied space in the container-('5 and to retain the trays 4 in proper position.

The container 6 is rovided with foldable edges which, .when olded, are adapted to form a closure or cover for the container and may be held securely in place hy strips of gummed paper to provide a seal so that the case formed by the sealing of the container 6 may he opened by cutting the gummed strips of paper without destroying the package.

From the shove description, it will be apparent that 1 provide a form of individual lamp wrapper which may serve as an-original package for a lamp when sold to a customer. In addition, the ends of the wrapper heing tucked in, in the manner contemplated loy me, furnish a cushioning means for the tip and base of the lamp, while the corrugated portion protects the glass walls of the hulb; A tra 4: containing several wrapped lamps constitutes a package that may be shipped by parcel post or otherwise. This feature saves the material, lahor, expense and dela of making up special packages and facilitates the delivery of lamps to cus tomers ordering in small quantities.

From the foregoing, will he observed that-the paclrage resulting from practising my method'oi? packing may he regarded as comprising several sell-contained units each characterized V by advantageous features, when used separately, orthe separate units are susceptihle of cooperating with each other in forming a strong package capable of protecting the fragile contents thereof during transit, without requiring the use of excelsior, which not only consumes space but must be properly distributed to afford a cushioning etlect, with the consequent requirements of shill'on the part oil a packer,

thereby adding to labor charges. Extensive tests have shown that there is less breakage when lamps are packed in accordance with my invention than when packed by methods customarily used.

While this invention has been set forth in certain preferred embodiments, it will be understood that modifications may be made without departure from the spirit and scope thereof.

What is claimed is: 1. The method of making a standard original package for the shipment of incandescent lamps, which consists in providing a plurality of self-contained shipping units adapted to function separately or to be received in an outer container of standard dimensions, said container also being adapted to function as a shipping unit, the first mentioned units being left uniform in two dimensions but permitted to vary in the third dimension. I a

2. A package for incandescent lamps and the like, resulting from using an outer shipping container of standard dimensions and placing a plurality of lamps in each of several shipping trays which conform to each other in two dimensions but which may difi'er in the third dimension, and inserting the said trays into said outer container.

3. A package for incandescent lamps and the like, resulting from using an outer shipping container of standard dimensions and placing a plurality oflamps in each of several shipping trays having the same length and the same width, but permissively having difierent depths, and inserting the said trays into said outer container.

l. A package for incandescent lamps comprising an outer shipping container of standardized dimensions, a plurality of trays constituting shipping containers within said first mentioned container, said trays having the same length and the same width hut permissively having dilferent depths, and a plurality of lamps individually wrapped in each of said trays, said lamps being so disposed in said trays as to form trays of the aforementioned character.

5., A package for incandescent lamps and the like, comprising an outer shipping container of standardized dimensions and a plurality of trays, each containing a plurality of lamps, said trays conforming to each other in two dimensions but permissively variablein the third dimension.

In testimony whereof, l have hereunto subscribed my name' this twelfth day of Sept 1919 anonsrns a. sniper.-

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